1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device and methods for practicing drumming (percussion). In particular, the device and methods hereof faithfully replicate the physical and aural characteristics of playing an acoustic snare drum while providing features to make the device more portable and therefore more favorable for practicing drumming than using an actual acoustic drum.
2. Description of Related Art
Percussion practice drum pads exist in numerous iterations by numerous manufacturers. Percussion practice drum pads offer more portability, comfort, convenience and generate lower sound levels when practicing drumming as compared to playing an actual acoustic drum.
Various methods are utilized to offer percussionists a practice drum pad they can strike with drumsticks to develop technique and practice drumming in lieu of using an actual acoustic drum. One method is to affix a solid polymer such as rubber to a flat, hard surface such as wood. The wood provides a rigid foundation for the polymer pad and the polymer provides a “bouncing” effect when struck by a drumstick to allow percussionists to practice the physical motion of striking an actual acoustic drum.
Unlike such a polymer-on-foundation percussion practice drum pad however, an actual acoustic drum is comprised of a semi-flexible plastic “head” or “skin” that is stretched taught across a rigid cylindrical drum shell. As such, the physical and aural characteristics of striking an actual acoustic drum with a drum stick differ significantly from the physical and aural characteristics of striking a commercially available polymer-on-foundation percussion practice drum pad with a drum stick. For example, when struck with a drum stick, an actual acoustic drum head will physically reflex more when struck in the center of the drum head than it will when the drum head is struck near the edge or “rim” of the drum. Similarly, when struck with a drum stick, an actual acoustic drum head will produce more aural feedback or “volume” when struck in the center of the drum head than it will when the drum head is struck near the edge or “rim” of the drum. However, when struck with a drum stick, most commercially available percussion practice drum pads do not allow a drummer to distinguish either physically or aurally between a strike in the center of the percussion practice drum pad and one closer to the edge.
Considering the geometry of a typical fourteen inch diameter snare drum, when striking the center of the drum, the drum head flexes the most allowing the drumstick tip to deflect the head more than when the drum is struck nearer the edge of the drum where the head flexes quite a bit less. The result of the variation in drum head reflexivity is both physical; the drum stick physically rebounds more when striking the center of a drum than when striking nearer the edge, as well as aural; the drum provides a different sound to the player when struck in the center of the head versus when being struck nearer the edge. Few commercially available percussion practice drum pads for such variation in physical reflexivity when striking the center of the pad versus striking nearer the edge of the pad.
Commercially available percussion practice drum pads are available in numerous shapes and sizes. Those that are full sized or minimally scaled down often provide a favorable amount of strikable surface, can be mounted in a typical three-point “basket”-style snare drum stand and many provide a plastic “rim” that simulate the same characteristics of an actual acoustic drum. Due to their size, however, such devices are often more difficult to transport and do not fit easily in typical drum stick bags or cases. Those pads that are scaled down significantly are more easy to transport or store in a typical drum stick bag or case, but fail to provide the other authentic playing characteristics of an actual acoustic drum such as a strikable “rim” or the ability to mount the pad in a typical three-point “basket”-style snare drum stand.